SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea has test-fired a homegrown submarine-launched ballistic missile, a report said Tuesday, as it seeks to build up its forces to defend itself from the nuclear-armed North. Pyongyang has long sought to develop submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology, and showed off four such devices at a military parade overseen by leader Kim Jong Un in January, with state media KCNA calling them “the world’s most powerful weapon”. But while […]
Tag: missile
Biden warns N.Korea against escalation after suspected ballistic tests
by By Becca Milfeld with Kang Jin-kyu in Seoul Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden warned North Korea Thursday that the United States will “respond accordingly” if it escalates its weapons testing, after Pyongyang fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea in its first substantive provocation of the new US administration. The nuclear-armed North has a long history of using weapons tests to ramp up tensions, […]
N.Korea tested missiles in first challenge to Biden administration: US official
by Paul HANDLEY WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — North Korea fired several missiles just days after a visit to the region by the top US defense and diplomatic officials, the White House said Tuesday, in Pyongyang’s first overt challenge to the Biden administration. But administration officials, speaking anonymously, downplayed the missiles as “common” military testing and said they would not block Washington’s efforts to engage with North Korea on denuclearization. Two missiles were fired on […]
North Korea shows off new submarine-launched missile at parade
by Sebastien BERGER SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Nuclear-armed North Korea unveiled a new submarine-launched ballistic missile at a military parade in Pyongyang, state media reported Friday, in a show of strength days before Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president. The display came after the five-yearly congress of the ruling Workers’ Party, where leader Kim Jong Un decried the US as his country’s “foremost principal enemy”. A grinning Kim oversaw the parade on Thursday evening, […]
US to sell air-to-ground missiles to Taiwan
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US government announced approval Wednesday to sell $1 billion worth of advanced air-to-ground missiles to Taiwan as the island shores up its defenses against the threat from China. The State Department said it had agreed to sell 135 of the AGM-84H SLAM-ER missiles, precision-guided, air-launched cruise missiles, and related equipment. Also approved was the sale of six MS-110 reconnaissance pods for air reconnaissance, and 11 M142 mobile light rocket […]
US warns NKorea still pressing ballistic missile development
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US government warned Tuesday that North Korea continues to acquire materials and equipment for its ballistic missile program, despite claims in Washington that Pyongyang has pulled back on its nuclear ambitions. In a joint global “advisory” the Treasury, Commerce and State Departments detailed North Korea’s ongoing efforts to obtain everything from forestry trucks for missile launchers to common metals and materials that can be used in rockets, warning sellers […]
US tests intercontinental ballistic missile
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Tuesday successfully tested an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a launch directed from an airborne command center, the Air Force said. The missile was launched at 12:21 am (0721 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, travelling 6,700 kilometers (4,200 miles) over the Pacific Ocean before landing in the sea near the Marshall Islands. “The test demonstrates that the United States’ nuclear […]
North Korea’s Kim says nuclear deterrent crucial
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons guarantee its safety, state media reported Tuesday, signalling once again that it will not give up its arsenal. Kim was addressing a conference of veterans on the 67th anniversary of the 1953 armistice that ended Korean War hostilities, the official Korean Central News Agency said. Up to three million Koreans died in the three-year conflict, in which the armistice […]
Japan ‘can’t move ahead’ with US missile defence system: PM
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan “can’t move ahead” with a costly US missile defense system, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday, throwing his support behind a decision to suspend deployment of the controversial program. In a surprise announcement a day earlier, Japan’s Defence Minister Taro Kono said the deployment of the Aegis Ashore system would be suspended, citing cost and time constraints. Abe’s comments appear to suggest the system, which was originally estimated to cost […]
UPDATED: Iran warship accidentally ‘hit by missile’ during exercises: state TV
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — An Iranian warship was accidentally hit by a missile during exercises in the Gulf of Oman, killing at least one, state television said Monday, amid tensions with the US in the waterway. The friendly fire incident involving the Konarak vessel occurred on Sunday afternoon near Bandar-e Jask, off the southern coast of the Islamic republic, it said on its website. One report said the vessel had sunk after being hit by […]
North Korea fires multiple suspected cruise missiles: Seoul
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Tuesday fired several suspected cruise missiles towards the sea, the South’s military said. The “multiple projectiles” fired from Munchon in the east of the country were believed to be “short-range cruise missiles,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The test comes a day before the nuclear-armed North marks the 108th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current […]
North Korea says, it tested ‘super-large’ rocket launchers
by Sunghee Hwang SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Nuclear-armed North Korea successfully tested “super-large multiple rocket launchers”, state media said on Monday, but leader Kim Jong Un was not described as commanding the drill as analysts say Pyongyang seeks to normalize its launches. With the world focused on the coronavirus pandemic and North Korea insisting it has not had a single COVID-19 case, the isolated state has carried out four such firings this month. Unusually, […]
